West Seattle’s ArtsWest gallery and theater brought together actors, arts philanthropists and theater enthusiasts on April 2 to reveal the lineup of plays for the 2012-2013 season and introduce new Managing Director Line Sandsmark and Christopher Zinovitch as the new Artistic Director (although he has been with ArtsWest for 12 years).

Managing Director Line Sandsmark came to ArtsWest after decades working as a film producer in Scandanavia. She said she was drawn to the theater because the staff and actors “wear their passion on their sleeves” and the “intimacy and energy of the space.”

Here is what she had to say about moving away from a world where the arts are heavily funded and her hopes for the new position:

“I actually find a lot of similarities between working with the shorter format independent films and this type of theater space because the goal here isn’t solely to get bums into seats, as they say, because we are not a mass medium, as film can be, but the emphasis here gets to stay on communication, on storytelling, and not least of all engaging audiences intellectually and also emotionally.

“I believe the best of all worlds is having a combination of private, corporate, public funding in addition to, of course, paying audiences. I’ve seen things get taken for granted over there to the point where sometimes public funding actually replaces community engagement and even personal responsibility. So I want to say I am very happy to be back in the States, because I’m impressed with both the creative and the philanthropic initiative it takes for us to be able to enjoy the arts …

“The arts create a space for dialogue by stimulating debate, stimulating conversations and, most importantly, by providing meaningful shared experiences. So I am very happy to be able to work in this region, and hope the work I do here contributes positively to ArtsWest, and to the cultural identity of this dynamic and vibrant and very unique Seattle community.”

Artistic Director Christopher Zinovitch introduced the upcoming season and discussed the theory behind the theme: “Nothing is Just Black and White”:

“What does that mean? Well it means ArtsWest does shows that do not have an ending. We are not giving you a tidy little bow at the end, we are not sending you off outside with a little pat on the butt that says ‘Thanks for coming.’ We are sending you out ready to talk, ready to ask questions of yourselves as well as your local community members.”

“You are going to like our villains, you are going to disagree with our heroes, you will laugh at our tragedies and I dare you not to cry at some of our comedies. Those are the types of shows that we do: they are not black and white, they are shades of grey and full of color.”

Zinovitch said over 298 actors auditioned for the season.

And without further ado, here is the 2012 -2013 ArtsWest season lineup from a press release:

It’s Christmas, 1968 - get ready for songs, songs, and more songs. Take a nostalgic trip through the late 50’s & early 60’s when the Marvelous Wonderettes, Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, are asked to entertain at the Holiday Party for Harper’s Hardware. While the girls decorate the hardware store, turning it into a winter wonderland, Mr. Harper, dressed as Santa Claus, goes missing, and the employees’ holiday bonus envelopes may bring surprises. “The perfect Christmas revue! Crackles with energy and joy!” (LA Weekly) Appropriate for all ages.
CAST: Kate Jaeger, Trish LaGrua, Lindsey Larsen, Erin Sprow

Subscriptions to the full five-play season go on sale on April 4th at $159 - $200 for general audiences, $140 for seniors – at ArtsWest Box Office, (206) 938-0339.

About ArtsWest: ArtsWest produces artistic events so fiercely compelling that they require conversation, improve the imagination, and promote cultural vibrancy as a core value for the communities of Seattle. Utilizing a 149-seat, 3/4 thrust theater and visual art gallery, ArtsWest has presented over 550 different performing arts productions and gallery exhibitions to over 225,000 visitors since 1999.

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